Paperbacks vs eBooks

[Angela Kinder]

Let's face it- I am so far behind the times that I don't own a Kindle (I did but it broke and haven't been able to replace it) or even an eReader. 

I know a lot of new authors strictly have eBooks because that's just everyday life now. I've tried reading ebooks on the computer but I get distracted. Do new authors have paperbacks available or do I need to save and get me a Kindle?

(I know it probably doesn't make sense. Sorry about that.)

[Jennifer Kitchens]

I have found that some new authors tend to do eBook only for the first few months and then decide if they want to do paperback as well.  Paperback tends to take longer and be less profitable.  It took me a long time to get a reader as well and I read a lot on my computer.  If you have a smart phone, you can read on that too.  Good luck!

[Grace]

Even though I have a Kindle, I only review books that have physical copies available, because a lot of the people who read my blog don't have e-readers yet.  I think it really depends what kind of books you like to read; many self-published authors go with e-books only, but if you prefer traditional publishing there's almost always a physical book available.  Before I got my Kindle I received several physical review copies of books that were written by new authors.

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Books Without Any Pictures

[Felicia Chien]

I feel just like you. I didn't even get an ereader, until last month, when the ipad 3 came out. And before then, I had a smart phone that could read PDFs, if authors wanted to send me their books via attachment in e-mail. But reading on the computer is very distracting and takes a lot of time. Now that I actually have an ereader, I find it easier to review e-books that way. In the long run, to answer your question, there will probably always be paper backs, but it might be best to save some money aside for an ereader, since most authors seem to be going digitally now, with ebooks. As a reviewer, a lot of requests have been coming through digitally, which is why I broke down and finally gave into an ereader. Hope that helps!

[Pearson Oldmitz]

Angela,

I have over 2000 books in my house. While I have only read about half of them, I enjoy having them around me, and have at least skimmed most of them if not all. I love libraries, used book stores, and finding first editions at garage sales.

I don't have an e-reader, Kindle or otherwise, and don't plan to get one. But then I don't have a cell phone either -- probably the last person on earth. I do not enjoy reading books on a computer screen. I spend enough time looking at the screen editing my own work.

You are probably too young to remember 331/3 records, and then 45s and later eight tracks, and cassetts, etc. I have a garage full of this stuff, all obsolete because they no longer make players for these things. Ipads come out as a new version every few months, not that they're significantly better than the previous version, but the company makes a few more bucks.

Bound books have been with us for a long time and will be still with us when todays Kindles and Nooks and such have long been replaced by some other "new" form of technology.

By the way, if you want to read some good books, no YA, vampires, zombies, etc. check out my friend Stephen Poleskie's work at www.StephenPoleskie.com. They are not for everybody -- well writen and a good read.

Best wishes

Pearson

 

[DrDLN]

I have both eBook and printed editions. I don't read on kindle. I do have one. So you don't need a kindle to publish ebooks. Good luck!

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"We come to love not by finding a perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly": http://amzn.to/dMBLWW

[Lisa LaVergne-Pottgen]

I was a holdout, swearing by the physical books and I would not give up my books.  I tried for years to be able to read ebooks on my computer, but I work on my computer for more than 12 hours a day for my job, and I just could not bring myself to sit there any longer than I already was.  However, I got a Nook Tablet for Christmas from a friend, and I have never looked back.  I have not managed to pick up a paper book in, gosh, months.  That being said, a lot of the newer authors are choosing to self publish, and to do that, it is easier to do just ebook, but then, many will go to print on demand services too.  It is kind of a tossup, really.

[Rasana Atreya]

You should probably get a kindle just because, like you say, a lot of new authors are publishing only ebooks (myself included). I have a confession to make though - after every 2-3 books on the kindle, I *have* to read a paperback. There's something about paper that kindle cannot replicate.

Having said that, don't miss out on some really great books that are kindle-only. Just bought Darcie Chan's The Mill River Recluse for 99c.

[Lisa LaVergne-Pottgen]

I love having an ereader now.  I appreciate it even more now that I have space issues, with my family taking up residence in my dad's living room, and all of our worldly possessions either in a closet here or a storage unit.  I would never be able to have so many books at my fingertips otherwise right now.  I have a Nook Tablet with a dual boot card, so I can read books for any reader in any format, and it is the best gift I have ever gotten!

[Chris Stevenson]

I've been in the publishing industry for about 24 years and I've seen the major changes in that time period. At the current time, I don't have a Kindle or e-reader of any type--finances mostly responsible for that. But I think I might be getting one very soon. E-book technology has risen so fast and furiously, that it has had a detrimental effect on the popularity and sales of print, both trade paperback and hard-back. I'm not sure how MMPBs are doing currently, but the belief seems to be that e-books are continuing to gain ground while print is falling. As one of the dinosaurs, I've held out and thought that print would continue to dominate and that e-books were just some fleeting fad. No so. In my own case, my e-book sales totally slaughter my trade paper and hard-back editions, so much so that I think print is a waste of time, at least, for me. Many publishers are realizing this too. I've never seen so many small e-book independents and small press sprout up in just the last two years. I can only think that e-books will eventually take the stage away from print, possibly within five years.

[TAMMY CUEVAS]

I held out for a long time saying that I would never like an e-reader because I need that feel of a book in my hand.  I've been reading almost my entire life (since age 3) and I have a serious love for books.  And as any book lover knows, the second love is the bookstore. An e-reader takes that joy away from you.  Whether it's browsing all day in BAM, or discovering a great little second-hand bookstore, or digging through boxes in a garage sale, shopping for books is half the fun.  Having said that, I now own a Nook.  NetGalley rarely has print copies anymore, and most of the other publishing companies I review use e-books for all the "good" titles, and have a limited amount of print copies on the ones I don't want to review anyway.  So, after months of listening to me dither about whether or not to give in, my husband came home one day with a Nook.  And, I admit, I love it.  It will never replace books for me, but it's great for travel, and since I spend a lot of my time in dr.'s offices, it's great to throw in my purse to read in the waiting room.  I even have a friend who takes her along when she shops and reads it in the checkout line at Wal-Mart!  So, IMHO, modern technology is upon us and we may not be able to avoid it completely.  But never give up books completely!  : )

[Jim Bronyaur]

Depends on the author.  I will say that as an author, I make more from an ebook sale than I do a paperback.  Also, as an author - and business person - paperback books mean inventory and risky costs (if the books don't sell, I'm stuck).  An ebook is easier to manage, maintain, and easier to get!  Kindle is instant download.  Plus, with an ebook you can get into the short story and novella range versus the huge novel.

Either way, I read both.  :)

[Logan Grey]

I am a relatively new author.  My debut novel, "The 9th Dimension," was released in mid December.  I can tell you that it is available on amazon in both ebook and paperback format.  I've been told that the ebook sales are much higher but that is probably due to a significant price difference.

As for myself, I don't own a kindle or nook and have no desire for one.  I stare at a damn screen all day and when I have leisure time I want to look at an actual page.  So I guess I'm even more backward than you.  I have my own novel in ebook format and still refuse to use an ereader.